Monday, February 11, 2013

THE L5R 4E RESOURCE GUIDE
The set-up of the new 4e L5R more easily allows the use of materials from
earlier editions and eras. That raises the questions: which of these products
should an L5R 4e GM bother picking up? Which of them offer new insights into
the pre-Clan War period (and beyond)? Which of them offer more universally
useful setting material? This series aims to answer those questions. Note that
I leave aside any and all mechanical material and questions for purposes of
these reviews.WINTER COURT: KYUDEN KAKITA
The second volume of the Winter Court
series, this takes place two years after the Scorpion Clan Coup. Where the
previous volume had fiction drawn from the past and a generic presentation of
the Seppun’s event, this volume is much more specific. It takes place in the
middle of many intrigues following the Coup, and the Court season of the Kakita
is heavily referenced. There’s some fiction and the first person narrative
comes from Doji Ameiko, wife to the Crane Clan Champion. The Court’s overseen
by a sick and weakened Emperor, who is slowly being poisoned by his new wife,
Bayushi Kachiko. In fact the opening fiction depicts that creepily- the
venomous cougar hovering over the teenaged Hantei.

There’s another small oddness in the presentation. The cover art, while
striking, seems to depict a Scorpion Shugenja in a contest of magical illusion
at the Court. This is despite the book's clear statement that only a handful of
Scorpion remain openly alive, none of whom are Shugenja at Court. It is a
pretty cover by Cris Dornaus who also did some of the better interior artwork.
The rest is merely serviceable. The 128-page volume is broken into four major
sections, plus the brief introduction. It dispense with sidebars in favor of a
wider two-column text design.

Dawn (12-35) This set sets the “grab bag” tone of these chapters.
It opens with a short vignette suggesting the growing tensions between the
Clans. Campaigns in Ancient Rokugan: In a precursor to the ideas
presented in Imperial
Histories, this suggests how games might be run in Rokugan’s past. Natural
Disasters: An excellent section presenting the kinds of cataclysms which
visit the land- from earthquakes to fires to plagues. Talks about what those
involve and how PCs might be called to deal with them or provide assistance in
their wake. A good source of some really interesting scenarios. The Miya Family:
The Miya appeared in detail in the previous Winter Court volume. This is
a more extensive treatment of them. Ronin: A long section on what it
means to be a ronin and the various details of their life. There’s some
discussion of what their role might be at Court. However this seems a little
out of place- moreso because The Way of the Wolf comes out shortly after
this volume.
Afternoon (36-53)Life in Rokugan: This offers typical daily
timetables for the different classes. Considers the different roles within a
class (samurai, Shugenja, courtier). It is a nice resource for giving players a
sense of what they actually ‘do’ day-to-day. Apprenticeship and Gempukku:
The Way of the Clans books touched on these issues to varying degrees. This
considers what kinds of duties young samurai might have to undertake. Art and
Culture: Discusses several different concrete forms, with some nice
illustrations of armor types.

Night (54-95)Visiting Customs in Rokugan: A good set of
guidelines, and details which the GM can easily put to use at the table. Court
Intrigue: An odd couple of pages with rumors, sample characters and a truly
hideous illustration. Entertainment: Seven pages of the kinds of things
people do at Court for fun. Any of these- from Sumai to Fireworks- could be
used to add color to a scene. It can also draw players into low-stakes
competitions. Ghosts: And we jump from that to a few pages on ghosts.
I’d like to see more of this. Some of the ideas have been alluded to in the Way
of the Minor Clans and Bearers of Jade. But given the importance of
ghost stories in Japanese folklore- and the different way they operate- they
need more discussion. Shadowlands Taint in Rokugani Society: Echoes
again some of the ideas from Bearers of Jade. This moves beyond the Crab’s
treatment of it however. Astrological Events, etc: Several sections,
covering seven pages talk about what has happened over the last two years. This
includes status at Court and details on the plans of the Hidden Scorpion. The
Ikoma Histories: The listing of the first ten Hantei, and notes on the
related Imperial families (like the Seppun). A Passage of Time: A five
page timeline of major events on history. Great Battles of the Past:
Just what it says, done in five pages. Most of these were presented in the
various Way of
the Clans books, so this feels more than a little repetitious. In fact this
kind of detail and history, while interesting, seems like minutiae for
minutiae's sake. How about some more relevant material for the GM?

Epilogue (96-127): The more mechanical and stat oriented section
of the book. Offers new skills, advantages, and disadvantages (increasing the
already overwhelming number of these in the game). The Miya Shisha (Herald) and
Emerald Magistrate schools are described. More usefully for 4e gamers looking
to run in this era are the ten Courtly NPCs. These are given shorter
descriptions than in other sourcebooks. There’s also three pages of Imperial
nemuranai. The book wraps up with a brief overview of each of the districts of
Otosan Uchi, updating the boxed set to current events. This is interesting, but
niche information.

OVERALL
Many topics, short treatments. Several of the subjects dealt with could easily
have supported twice the space given to it. In several cases, there’s just
enough to get interesting and then it stops. I'm sympathetic to the grab bag
approach. If there was an L5R RPG magazine, I can see these articles appearing
together and making some sense. But the framework of the Winter Court, while
interesting, makes some pieces seem out of place. There's also a point at which
I hit saturation on background material which doesn't have all that much
bearing for the game. The umpteenth time I have to read through pages of famous
battles (many repeated) feels like filler rather than significant. World
building and information needs to be purposeful- just because you've made up
some detail doesn't mean it is necessarily relevant for GMs or players.

Much of this material has been synthesized and appears in a tighter form in
current L5R 4e supplements. There are a few things which have longer treatment
(like the disasters) which might be of interest for GMs of different eras.
Otherwise it is most useful for GMs planning to run post Scorpion Clan Coup
campaigns in the First Core setting.

THE WAY OF THE WOLF
One of the ironies of the Legend of the Five Rings set-up is that it
focuses on PCs in service to a daimyo and tied to clan. At the very least the
players serve an institution, such as the office of the Emerald Magistrates.
Yet the most iconic samurai characters are ronin or masterless. The Seven
Samurai, Usagi Yojimbo, Zatoichi, Lone Wolf, Sanjuro, Himura Kenshin and many,
many more. Even in films where the protagonists serve a daimyo or abide by the
rules, things end up badly for them or the institution is shown to be corrupt: Samurai
Rebellion, 47 Ronin, Kagemusha, Taboo, and Sanso
the Bailiff for example. Classical Japanese tales don’t necessarily follow
this pattern, but most modern depictions have an anti-authoritarian or
individual freedom streak to them, from novels to movies to anime to comic
books.

But L5R in the core book and some of the earlier supplements tries to disabuse
players of these notions. Certainly John Wick’s voice can be heard there. He
presents his case even more strongly in Blood & Honor,
which effectively says you can play a Ronin if you’re seriously ready to play a
despised homeless guy.

My experiences with Ronin in L5R haven’t been good. There are some
disadvantages in games I called “GM Chicken” disads. These offer decent points
or bonuses, but with significant and damming downsides. When a player takes one
of these, the GM’s faced with the choice of enforcing and bringing it up
consistently or letting it slide somewhat. The former can mean making the
experience awful for the player. Alternately, depending on the disad it can
drag the group down seizing the focus or making the other PCs deal with the
fallout from it. On the other hand, the latter approach gives the player the
advantages without the costs- in this case freedoms from obligations. There’s
the potential for even more friction in the group from that. I’m not saying
this happens all the time- but I’ve certainly run for players who factor this
into their decision-making. It means that the GM has to think especially
carefully about them and give them to the right player. The PC who is going
take every opportunity to mock the stuck up samurai will wear out his welcome
quickly. The player who choose as ronin because they clear don’t get the
setting is an equal recipe for disaster.

That may explain why The Way of the Wolf comes late in the L5R line- and
why the book goes to lengths to make the ronin into their own clan- with senses
of honor, obligations, and bonds. It follows the traditional structure of the
rest of the Way
of the Clans volumes. It is a 128-page perfect bound softcover, with
classic L5R two column plus sidebar layout. Carl Frank gives a solid cover with
iconic figures. The interior art’s not so good, with some pieces looking really
rushed. The book has five chapters, plus four appendices. Character three is
character mechanics as usual; chapter five offers character templates which
could easily be used for NPCs.

There’s a brief prologue fiction which as much as anything sets up the backdrop
of this period. Following the Scorpion Clan Coup more ronin operate in Rokugan-
some dispossessed and others choosing this path. Chapter one provides eight
pages of various viewpoints on the ronin. That’s important and complicated. Ronin
in Japanese history shifted in role and position over time- with the late
period and the ending of traditional roles clashing with the samurai ethos.
There’s a reason so many of the ronin-based sagas take place in this period.
Since L5R echoes that source material but doesn’t follow it, they have to make
clear those social roles. The chapter also has sidebars reemphasizing the
benefits and drawbacks to being a ronin. Chapter two charts a history of the
“Wave Men.” More importantly it offers different origins and roles for
different ronin. It also establishes different families of ronin, many of which
appear in the later 3e and 4e rules. The Yotsu appear, but relevantly we see
Toturi’s connection to them. This is a crucial shift in the setting, preparing
for the Second Day of Thunder arc. There’s, of course, extensive notes on
famous battles of the ronin- color material with less use at the table. Chapter
Four presents write ups of famous ronin of the First Core period- most of whom
are key iconic characters: Toturi, Dairya, Ginawa, Toku, etc. Some of these
characters already appeared elsewhere, especially in the recent Unexpected
Allies, so that’s a little odd.

The first appendix has general advice on how to survive as a ronin. It also
considers the reaction of each of the great clans to ronin. There’s some
additional good material on daily lives for these characters. There’s a brief
section considering how GMs should deal with ronin in their games. I think the
material in Winter
Court: Kyuden Kakita was actually a little more in depth. More
discussion and ideas would have been useful. Appendix II has recent history,
especially as it pertains to the Wave Men. This is good material for those
running in this era. Appendix III has some new spells. Finally Appendix IV
offers a really solid discussion of ronin villages and settlements, including a
map of one. Unlike all the other Way of the Clans volumes there’s no CCG
or Clan War material inserted here.

OVERALL
It is interesting to see how the ideas established here remain intact
throughout the various editions of L5R. Third Edition's Fealty and
Freedom reworks some of these concepts, but they largely stay the same.
Additional Ronin material also appears in Mimura:
The Village of Promises. Game Masters can look further afield as well- Bushido, Oriental Adventures,
Ronin:
Oriental Adventures in Tokugawa Japan, and Sengoku all support a ronin
campaign more or less out of the box. Clan and family may be important, but
those can be backdrop elements- focusing GMs on more common samurai tropes and
themes. L5R on the other hand, seems to come to this more out of needing to
update the metaplot. They're heading into one of the few eras were Ronin would
be a viable faction. Way of the Wolf positions them within the web of
forces operating post Scorpion Clan Coup.

Those connections to institutions and authority make L5R, at least for me,
complicated and tense. In my experience players react badly to in-game
authority. L5R requires the characters come to terms with that and find a way
to interact with it. Ronin, well played, could offer an interesting commentary
on it. Way of the Wolf offers some interesting ideas about that. For GMs
generally it suggests ways to present NPC ronin groups- perhaps ones which
challenge players' sense of identity. For GMs working in the First Core era, it
offers important details about the history and sets the table for the Second
Day of Thunder.